The name should remember you something(?): a full-bodied classical English mixture with high grade Virginias, a lot of Orient, 10% Dark Fired Kentucky and minimum 40% Latakia and a pinch of Perique ... To be discovered!

Synjeco's Balkan is a beautiful looking tobacco that appears to be made of excellent leaf. The pouch aroma is mainly of smoky Latakia. SB arrives at almost the perfect moisture level. It's easy to pack an burns clean and dry. I am going to toss my hat in the ring with the other reviews in that it SB is a bit sweet and spicy. The dominate flavor for me is of Latakia, but not enough to cause the blend to be out of balance. It is slightly rough around the edges, but only slightly. Some of the Synjeco blends are made by Samuel Gawith, but if I had to guess, I don't think Synjeco's Balkan is one of them. SB is a well-made blend that English lovers should have on their “must try” list. Three and a half stars!

I really like Synjeco's nice, informative website. Very interesting and a comprehensive selection of hard-to-find and highly interesting-to-try tobacco's! With for every tobacco a photograph of the tobacco itself. I find this much more interesting then a tin-photo... Two kinds of description: the factory one and a personal test review. Fast delivery from Switserland to Holland completes for me the experience of a very well run webshop.

In addition to all this they also offer their own blends of which 'Balkan' is the first I tried.

The Blender's description says: "The name should remember you something(?)" so I ordered this, hoping it would be a Sobranie clone. But having won a tin of Sobanie Original on e-bay and having found a square tin of Sobranie Ready Rubbed Flake in the Amsterdam Pipemuseum shop, I find they must have meant some other tobacco.

Pouch note, on first opening a bit to sweet for me, but now after some months pleasantly dark and spicy. Strangely enough, after having been openend for a few months in the pouch, the tobacco is dryer but still moist enough to smoke. The Synjeco pouch is very practical in use and since the lower part is transparant, it gives a good view of the contents when unrolled.

The short wide ribbon cut is easy to load and light.

The spicy sweet taste is a pleasure and it smokes cool as well.

The only tobacco in my knowledge it resembles, is Sir William English Latakia (black label) but I slightly prefer Synjeco's because it appears to me more matured and a bit sweeter.

A rich and complex mixture, an English with Kentucky (10%), a reminiscent of Balkan by Brebbia but the presence of Virginia makes it a little sweeter and creamy. Great for smoke in a winter's evening. 4,5/5 in my personal rating system.

Another fine Balkan I had the chance to try because of my very good friend “Hetfield”. Once I opened the bag I found out that its humidity is very good, so I filled my first try-out bowl right away. It filled the pipe easily and it light up even easier. From the first puffs you discover a full body tobacco. A classic English blend, enriched with Virginia. It is rich in Oriental which provides this sweet and at the same time spicy taste. The flavor is complemented by small amounts, fortunately, of Perique. Of course it contains 40% Latakia in order to give this flavor that only Latakia can give. It is a pity that it is not Syrian, as than we would be talking about a perfect mixture. One negative aspect is that even though the tobacco is dry at the beginning, it left plenty of fluids at the bottom of the bowl.

Another fine Balkan I had the chance to try because of my very good friend “Hetfield”. Once I opened the bag I found out that its humidity is very good, so I filled my first try-out bowl right away. It filled the pipe easily and it light up even easier. From the first puffs you discover a full body tobacco. A classic English blend, enriched with Virginia. It is rich in Oriental which provides this sweet and at the same time spicy taste. The flavor is complemented by small amounts, fortunately, of Perique. Of course it contains 40% Latakia in order to give this flavor that only Latakia can give. It is a pity that it is not Syrian, as than we would be talking about a perfect mixture. One negative aspect is that even though the tobacco is dry at the beginning, it left plenty of fluids at the bottom of the bowl.